CVE-2014-6029 in TorrentFlux
Summary
by MITRE
TorrentFlux 2.4 allows remote authenticated users to delete or modify other users cookies via the cid parameter in an editCookies action to profile.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/28/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6029 resides within TorrentFlux version 2.4, a popular BitTorrent client management system that facilitates user account management and session handling through web interfaces. This security flaw represents a critical authorization bypass and privilege escalation vulnerability that affects the application's user profile management functionality. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the profile.php script where the cid parameter is improperly validated during the editCookies action, creating a path for authenticated attackers to manipulate session tokens belonging to other users within the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and access control validation within the application's session management subsystem. When an authenticated user accesses the profile.php script with the editCookies action, the cid parameter is used to identify which user's cookies should be modified. However, the application fails to properly verify whether the authenticated user has legitimate authorization to modify cookies belonging to another user account. This weakness allows an attacker to manipulate the cid parameter to reference arbitrary user accounts, thereby gaining unauthorized access to modify or delete session cookies that belong to different users. The flaw operates at the application layer and specifically affects the session management and user privilege handling components of the TorrentFlux framework.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates severe security implications for any organization relying on TorrentFlux 2.4 for managing BitTorrent client operations and user accounts. An authenticated attacker can leverage this vulnerability to completely compromise other users' sessions, potentially gaining administrative privileges or accessing sensitive data that those users have access to. The attack requires only a valid user account within the system, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by malicious insiders or compromised legitimate users. The ability to delete or modify cookies enables attackers to perform session hijacking, privilege escalation, and account takeover operations that can persist for the duration of the affected sessions.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization within software systems, and specifically relates to CWE-287, which covers improper certificate validation. This flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1548.001, which covers abuse of credentials, and T1566.002, which involves spearphishing with a malicious attachment or link. Organizations using affected versions of TorrentFlux should immediately implement mitigations including input validation, proper access control enforcement, and session management improvements. The recommended approach involves implementing strict parameter validation for the cid parameter, enforcing user-specific authorization checks, and ensuring that session tokens can only be modified by the account owner or authorized administrators. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing session timeout mechanisms, logging all cookie modification activities, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in their web applications. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control implementation in web applications and serves as a reminder of the potential consequences when session management systems fail to properly validate user permissions.